Sunday, September 13, 2015

Race Report: 2015 Dick Beardsley Marathon

On September 12, I ran the Dick Beardsley Marathon in
Detroit Lakes, MN.This was an inaugural
race.They’ve had a half marathon for 20
years.This year, they added a marathon.I’d like to eventually run every marathon in
Minnesota, so naturally I had to add this one to my race schedule.

Dick Beardsley is one of the best marathon runners ever to
come from Minnesota.When I started
running in the early 80s, he was one of my heroes.He became a household name in Minnesota
running circles after setting a course record on 2:09:37 at the 1981 Grandma’s
Marathon.That record held up until 2014.Nationally, he’s best known for his Duel in
the Sun with Alberto Salazar at the 1982 Boston Marathon.

I first had the opportunity to meet Dick Beardsley when he was
the speaker at a pre-race dinner for the 2011 Napa Valley Marathon.Later that year, I also heard him speak at
the Tahoe Triple.

Detroit Lakes has a number of lake resorts.Since I was only there for the race, I opted
to stay at a motel instead.It was a
four hour drive from Minneapolis, including a brief lunch stop in St.
Cloud.After checking in at my motel, I
drove to the Detroit Lakes Pavilion to pick up my race packet.

Besides a long-sleeve T-shirt, my race packet included a
towel, a tube of sunblock, and a floating key chain.These are all essential items if you spend
your summers at the lake.

Later I went to a pre-race pasta dinner hosted by Holiday
Inn.The dinner was only $10, and Dick
Beardsley was there. I sat with a couple
other Marathon Maniacs, and I also met a runner who was doing his first
marathon.The race has had a change in leadership.It’s now managed by the same race director as
the Fargo Marathon.After dinner, the race
director introduced Dick Beardsley and the two men who founded the half
marathon. They each talked about the history of the race.Then Dick sang a few songs that he wrote
himself.

In past years, the half marathon course was essentially a
loop around Detroit Lake, which was run in the counter-clockwise
direction.This year, they changed the
half marathon to be a clockwise loop.The
marathon route started with a counter-clockwise loop around the lake.After a complicated turnaround in the middle,
we ran the loop clockwise, finishing at the Detroit Lakes Pavilion, where we
started.

This race was supposed to be a return to normalcy.Two weeks ago, I did a 50K trail run in a
thunderstorm.Last week, I did a 6-hour
race with a heat index of 101.This
week, I was running a nice easy road marathon with favorable weather.I thought that would give me a reasonable
chance of finishing within four and a half hours.

The overnight low was in the mid-40s, with the temperature forecast
to climb into the low 60s by noon.Normally that would mean shorts and a T-shirt, or perhaps even a
singlet.Lately, my legs have been
chronically stiff, and they’re worse when they’re cold.To help keep my legs warm, I wore tights,
realizing I might get hot toward the end of the race.I was willing to risk being overdressed.

There’s a small parking lot right next to the start.With some runners arriving as early as 5:30
for race morning packet pickup, I expected that lot to fill early.There were two other lots with ample parking,
but they were each at least a half mile away.I arrived at 5:40, even though the race didn’t begin until 7:00.That was early enough to get one of the close
parking spots.That gave me the luxury
of waiting until the last minute to remove my warm-up clothes.I also didn’t need a drop bag.

There were rows of port-o-potties outside, but I noticed the
pavilion had real bathrooms.Unfortunately,
my digestive system wasn’t cooperating.It wasn’t awake yet.Fifteen
minutes before the race, I did some warm-up exercises.That brought my digestive system to
life.Ten minutes before the race, I
tried the bathroom.The stalls were occupied,
but nobody else was waiting.After
waiting a minute or two, I was able to use the bathroom.I finished my business with five minutes left
before the start.That never happens at
larger races.I was outside in time for
the National Anthem.

All summer, I’ve been starting races with stiff legs.That usually forces me to start slow.I’ve found that when I start slow, I never
loosen up, so I run slowly for the whole race.I’ve also found that if I can force myself to run faster in spite of the
stiffness, I loosen up. That’s the approach I took with this race.

Although we were mostly running around the lake, we started
by running away from the lake.After
about six blocks, we turned left.After
a few more blocks, we turned left again, and started heading back toward the
lake.

Shortly after the second turn, we reached the first mile
marker.My first mile was roughly nine
minutes.I felt good for the time being,
but I didn’t think it would be a sustainable pace.I stuck with that pace for the early miles.

In the second mile, we started our loop around the
lake.At times, we were right by the
shore and had views across the lake.Other times, we were running the streets closest to the lake, but we couldn’t
always see the lake.

The half marathon started at 7:30, but they were running in
the opposite direction.After about
seven miles, I saw the lead runners coming toward us.About this same time, I noticed I was no
longer keeping up with the runners around me.I was slowing down, ever so slightly.I didn’t try to keep up.I
maintained my effort and allowed my pace to slow.It was too early in the race to be working
hard.

Sometime between 10 and 11 miles, we reached the Holiday
Inn.We were on a paved sidewalk, and
there were signs indicating we needed to make room for two-way traffic.By now, the half marathon runners had all
passed.Then I saw the leader of the
marathon on his way back.I was
continuing to ease up, slowing to perhaps 9:30 per mile.As I relaxed, my legs started to get
stiff.That seemed to start a vicious
cycle.As my legs got stiff, my pace
slowed.Rather than fight it, I continued
to ease up.That seemed to make my legs
stiffen even more.I started to slow
dramatically.

As we got back on streets, the 4:00 pace group passed
me.I wasn’t too concerned, as I didn’t
really expect to be able to break four hours.What was alarming is that I couldn’t have stayed with them if I
tried.I could no longer run anywhere
close to that pace.

The middle miles had a lot of turns.We ran about three quarters of the way around
the high school.Then we made a 180
degree turn in the middle of a block.I
think that was the halfway mark.If so,
I ran the first half in 2:01.Soon, I
was passed by another pace group.It was
the 4:15 group.Overnight I went from
9:30 to 11 minute miles.Everybody was
passing me now.

Coming back, we went around another block before returning
to our original route to begin out clockwise loop around the lake.At one point, I could hear cheering from the
finish line.As the crow flies, it was
only about two blocks away.The faster
half marathon runners were finishing.The middle section seemed unusually complicated.I think they did that so they could have a
relay exchange in a different place than the finish line.

As I got back to Holiday Inn, I was passed by a large group
of runners.It was another pace
group.I didn’t see the front of the
pace leader’s sign, but from the pace written on the back, I realized they were
the 4:30 group.I still had almost 11
miles to go.I expected them to
eventually pass me, but I didn’t think it would happen so quickly.Did I really slow down that much?

I got my answer when I reached the 16 mile sign.My time was 2:36 and change. I was now doing 12 minute miles.At that rate, I’d take two more hours to
finish.I wasn’t done slowing down.Before long, I clocked my first 13 minute
mile.

I didn’t feel tired, but my legs were stiff and sore.Running was getting increasingly uncomfortable.At 17 miles, I entertained thoughts of
walking.The only thing that kept me
running was realizing how long it would take to walk that many miles.

By the time I reach 18 miles, my watch read 3:01.It was now after 10:00, and the temperature
was probably around 60.Even with the
tights, I never felt hot.I wasn’t going
fast enough to generate excess heat.

Usually, when you slow down in the second half, it’s because
you ran too fast in the first half.I
had to wonder if I’ve really lost so much fitness that 10 miles at a 9:00 pace
could cause me to slow down this much.To this point, I never felt tired or short of breath.I just had really sore stiff legs.When I reached a small hill, I used it as a
test.I made a point of running uphill at
the same pace that I was running before.If aerobic capacity wasn’t an issue, I shouldn’t get tired running
uphill at the same slow pace.About
halfway up the hill, I realized I was starting to breathe harder.Near the top, I felt a burning sensation in
my quads. It’s the way you feel when you’re accumulating lactate faster than
you can clear it.OK.I really do have a diminished aerobic
capacity.

I hit the 20 mile mark in roughly 3:28.I entertained thoughts of walking.If I walked the rest of the way, I’d still
break 5:30.On the other hand, if I ran
the rest of the way – even at a 14 pace – I’d break 5:00.I kept running.

I was going to start walking at the 21 mile sign.Then I saw a sign.It read, “Run if you can.Walk if you must.Never give up.”I checked my watch.I kept that mile under 14 minutes.I kept running.I couldn’t say the same about the next
mile.It was slower than 14
minutes.At 22 miles, I started walking.

The transition from running to walking was painful. For the first few steps, I was limping.Then I committed to the walking gait and my
stride evened out.I wasn’t able to walk
very fast.I kept working at it.I did my best to pick up the pace, but it was
tough.Walking was also
uncomfortable.Every muscle was stiff
and sore.I no longer felt the soreness
in my quads.Now I felt really tight in
my hamstrings.It was a different kind
of discomfort, but it was still uncomfortable.

I clocked my first walking mile in 16 minutes and
change.It was only two minutes slower
than my last running mile.I kept
walking.

I started looking across the lake to see where we
finish.Near the shoreline, I could see
trees, beaches, buildings and boats.I
couldn’t recognize any of them.Eventually, I spotted a Canadian flag.Before the race, I saw three flags flying outside the Detroit Lakes
Pavilion. They were a United States flag, a Minnesota flag, and a Canadian
flag.The building next to the flags was
the pavilion.It looked like it was
about half a mile away.That was misleading,
as our route to the finish wasn’t direct.

Now that I was walking, my hands started to get cold.There was a light breeze.I had to put on the gloves that I had taken
off earlier in the race.

I didn’t want to finish the race walking.I told myself I’d start running when we
turned away from the lake. Then I
changed my mind and decided to start running when I reached the 25 mile
sign.I knew I was getting close to the
turn when I saw a sign with a large “Z.”That’s Zorbaz Pizza Shack, which is on the corner where we turned.

We were on a busy street.As I reached the turn, police stopped the cars.I felt guilty about walking through the turn
as cars were waiting.I tried to walk
faster.When I got to 25 miles, I forced
myself to start running again.My three
walking miles took 49 minutes.Had I run
them, they probably would have taken 42 minutes.I only gave up seven minutes by walking.My watch read 4:44 and change.If I could run the last 1.2 miles in 15
minutes, I could still break five hours.Earlier, I wasn’t running fast enough.Could I put on a finishing kick?

A few blocks ahead, there was an aid station.I had to run up a small hill to get there.I fought hard to pick up my pace.The volunteer asked if I wanted water.I asked for Gatorade.He said they only had water, but this was the
last hill.I drank some water and kept
pushing the pace.

I crested that hill and rounded a corner.There was another hill.He lied!When someone tells you there aren’t any more hills, it’s always a
lie.I kept fighting to pick up my
pace.I made the last turn and looked
for the finish line.It was too far
away. I couldn’t see it yet.Three blocks ahead, I could see a traffic
light.Eventually, I saw the finish
line.It was three more blocks.

I pushed hard all the way in.When I saw the 13 mile sign for the half
marathon, I looked at my watch.I had
it.I finished in 4:57:04.Breaking five hours in spite of the walking gave
me something to feel good about.

The finisher medal had a design with the shape of the
lake.On the back it says,
“FINISHER.When you cross that finish
line, it will change your life forever!”That’s exactly what I tell first time
marathoners.

After the race, I went to Zorbaz with Chuck, one of the
Marathon Maniacs I met at this race.

Later, I went to Lakeside Tavern for dinner, since Chuck
said they had good pizza too.They bring
serve the pizza with honey on the side.Knowing that, I ordered a Hawaiian pizza with ham, pineapple and roasted
almonds.Those toppings all went well with honey drizzled on top.

This wasn’t an ultra.It wasn’t a trail run.It wasn’t
hot.There was nothing difficult about
it.I still struggled for the last 15
miles.So much for my return to
normalcy.That doesn’t bode well for the
rest of my race schedule.

This was my 287th lifetime marathon or ultra.I need 13 more to get to 300.They’re not getting any easier.I recently compared my race schedule to a
marathon of marathons.It’s more like an
ultra.I feel like it’s 2 AM and I’m
going through a bad patch.

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About Me

I’ve been running marathons since 1983 and ultramarathons since 1998. I’m not an elite athlete, but I train hard, and I race hard. I try to race as often as I can, while still striving to do my best in each race. I also use races as an opportunity to travel to different places and meet other runners.